Reasons to get dressed this morning : Designer Skirts

One item that seems to translate exceptionally well from runway to real life is a skirt. Dramatic volumes and unusual silhouettes, a standard runway affair become easy summer skirts when tasked by Stella McCartney. The woman also responsible for that steady supply of high-waisted skirts in button-down denim that is again about to make a new-season entrance into our wardrobes.

Even Anthony Vaccarello with his hot-to-trot micro lengths has transformed his signature cut into a fun and flirty denim skirt that wouldn't be out of place to pick up groceries in. Valentino takes what would normally be reserved for haute couture events, and makes it Hawaiian-holiday appropriate. VETEMENTS, a label that is inspired by the basic concept of merchandising (we need a pair of pants, a skirt, a shirt etc...) to design skirts for women, or indeed men, that break the constraints of decided 'good taste'. The result is fresh, authentic and downright wonderful. Skirts that reignite the excitement of fashion all over again.

Dries Van Noten uses a jacquard skirt to illustrate lush stories, which we imagine couldn't possibly stop at the end of the runway. Miu Miu does bee-bop hyper-girls, with an A-line skirt that you would have begged your mother for in high school. Dolce & Gabbana make fresh white skirts in daisy-inspired embroidery or metallic jacquard skirts that end just above the knee, and the Dolce Classic, a pencil skirt in satin and lace. Isabel Marant has made the chiffon skirt her signature – that mini skirt with the ruched waist worn with cool-girl staples like a denim jacket and suede boots. It’s a look that's borrowed not from the runway so much, but what her models wear on the way to the show. It’s an Isabel Marant roundabout, where we can't be quite clear who started what but we're awfully happy to be on it. The point we are trying to make here is that fashion, in its purest runway collection form, can be enjoyed in our daily lives.

Wear it your way

A skirt sees no limitations, except maybe bicycle riding. The best place for inspiration is often right in front of us, we can be incredibly creative when it comes to bad weather and good style. We're consistently impressed with the pages of Garance Dore and her uncomplicated aesthetic for elegance and classicism. Learning what works best for your own body and style is by far the most beautiful option, a message we hear loud and clear through Dore's own honest voice. Dressing for yourself need not have regulations – if anything, it's a wonderful chance to truly express your personality and a daily canvas of reinvention.

Simple black skirts need not be boring! Take advantage of the experimentation designers are using in textile choices, patent leather, cotton lace-up corsetry, embellished fringes, mesh and lace. A black skirt is no longer that slightly stretch pencil skirt you wear to interviews, but a super-hip black A-line skirt you wear to see Tame Impala play. A pleated skirt is a good upscale lunch option, turn to Proenza Schouler for that one. And, a high-waisted skirt makes more sense of all the crop tops and bralets we keep buying. Balancing this season’s bigger volumes is also really fun. A heavy knit sweater over a cotton flared skirt, a floor-dusting long skirt with a shrunken T-shirt, the list is endless. A red skirt made of python leather makes for one exciting business meeting – make the right statement by adding an oversized blazer and a shirt. Denim skirts, as we’re sure you've noticed, aren't leaving our wardrobes anytime soon. Saint Laurent is playing tricks with the classic, reinterpreting a basic with camouflage or metallic fringing.

In the end, ladies skirts are just another way to enjoy getting dressed in the morning. This flexibility is part of why fashion is so enjoyable. It is very hard to imagine that not so long ago, trousers weren't even an option. A big shout-out is deserving for the turn of the twentieth century, the Ballet Russe, Poiret and the transitional item that made it all happen, harem pants. A heartfelt dedication to André Courrèges for introducing the concept of designer jeans. A thank you to Gabrielle Chanel for sailor pants (amongst other things), and an enthusiastic pat on the back for all of us who make dressing however you want into a modern liberty. So although we are women who wear the trousers, we're also the women who enjoy a micro miniskirt.